Thieves Knock Off Apple Store in Paris

Today in international tech news: Thieves nab more than $1 million in merchandise from a Parisian Apple store, a filter fail prompts Pakistan to re-block YouTube, Israel launches a program to train cybersoldiers, and Belgian media band together to build a nationwide user-identification platform.

By David Vranicar
01/02/13 9:13 AM PT

On New Year's Eve, armed burglars lifted thousands of dollars -- and potentially more than US$1 million -- worth of merchandise from an Apple store in central Paris,
according to Reuters.

The hit targeted a flagship Apple store, which carried a full array of products including iPhones, iPads and Macs. Police declined to comment on reports that put the damage at $1.32 million.

The thieves were reportedly masked and escaped in a van. The burglars were "well prepared," a member of the police union UNSA said, adding that most of the city's police were focused on the New Year's Eve shindig taking place at the Champs Elysees.

In late December, Pakistani prime minister Rehman Malik announced on Twitter that the ban would be lifted,
adding that Pakistan would utilize "powerful firewall software" to thwart viewing of inappropriate materials.

The ballyhooed software, however, didn't work, which led Pakistan to re-block YouTube -- after all of three minutes.

Israel Pursues 'Digital Iron Dome'

Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu presided over Monday's launch of a new national program, "Magshimim Le'umit," designed to train youngsters for cyberdefense. The program lasts three years and is geared toward 16- to 18-year-olds.

Belgium to Launch Media ID

Having reached a potentially lucrative
deal with Google, Belgian news sites will introduce an industry-wide identity platform in 2013.

Citing a Dutch-language article from Belgium's
De Morgen, PaidContent
reports that major Flemish- and French-language newspaper and magazine publishers, along with a trio of TV broadcasters, will band together to form "Media ID," which PaidContent describes as a "common platform for user registration and management."

A test launch of Media ID is expected in April, with a full launch in September.

In addition to giving media outlets a way to profile their consumers, Media ID, which was created by a government-funded research institute called "iMinds," will encourage payments from readers and viewers.

China's Pirated App Problem

A website called "KuaiYong," which in Chinese means "use quickly," allows for easy installation of pirated iPhone and iPad apps,
according to The Next Web.

KuaiYong figures to fill the void. The site has been around since June 2012, but because it is offered only in Chinese, it was a relative unknown until recently.

KuaiYong works by bypassing Apple's licensing safeguards, allowing it to distribute the same app numerous times, license ID be damned. The service is also noteworthy because it allows pirated apps to be downloaded without having to jailbreak one's device.